Volunteers resumed searching Saturday for 8-year-old Relisha Rudd, who went missing seven months ago after her mother entrusted her in the care of a janitor, who worked at the homeless shelter where the family lived in Washington, D.C.
Four teams—including search-and-rescue workers from Maine, who arrived in the area Thursday to help out—scoured three areas near Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Northeast D.C. for Relisha, according to NBC 4 Washington.
Investigators say it is unlikely that she is still alive, but volunteers told the station they want to find out what happened to Relisha, who was last seen on March 1 at a motel with 51-year-old Khalil Tatum. He worked as a janitor at the homeless shelter where her family lived.
A missing report was not filed in the case, but police became involved on March 19 after inquiries from the child's school. Police discovered the body of Tatum’s wife in a hotel room in Oxon Hill, Md., and Tatum’s body on March 31. He is believed to have committed suicide, reports say.
Police say Tatum bought a shovel, lime and contractor-sized trashbags at a Home Depot and spent a lot of time at the park around the time the child was last seen, the news station reports. Volunteers did not report any new findings late Saturday.
Read more at NBC 4 Washington.